Animal-feeding device



C. P. BETTENGA.

ANIMAL FEEDINGDEVICE, APPLlcATioN man FEB. s. i920.

Patentd Jan. 18, 1921.

gl off/265] UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. onENo P; BETTENGA, or PARKERSBURG, iowa.

. l AIMAL-FEEDING DEVICE Be it known thatI I, CnnNo P. Bn'rrENoA,

a citizen of the United `States of America, and a` `resident of Parkersburg, `Butler county," lowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal-Feeding Devices, ot' which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements iii` animal feeding devices, and tliefobiects of my improvements are iirst to construct such a device with means for insuring ready and unimpeded delivery oit, the contents of the hopper to the feeding trough 'ofthe vessel; second, to combine with said"l device a smaller and auxiliary device. oi" similar characterfor delivering'unimpededly a supply of mediiainient or other `material into a special and segregated part "of saidt feeding l rlhese objects I have accomplished by the T means which are hereinafterdescribed and claimed, and which are illustrated iii the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in central vertical transverse section, of my improved animal feeding device, and Fig. 2

is a horizontal section of theV same,` taken `on the broken line 2-2 of said Fig. 1, and

looking downwardly, with per bottom broken away.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

l is a vertically disposed hollow cylinpart of the hopdrical hopper `whose upper open end is cov-f' ered by a removable conoidal closure 2.`

The bottom 7 of said hopper inthe form oi a hollow conical frustum, and said hopper supported iiiedly on a number of standaids 3whose lower ends are secured to the bottom of the circular vessel 4:, having a low marginal and'i'nclined4 rim. This vessel is concentric with andA spaced below the open end of the frustal bottom 7 of said hopper, and the central partof the bottom of said vessel is formed with the hollow cone 5 whose apex extends upwardly into and into two oppositely inclined members, the

middle of the bar being pivotally mounted upon the apex of the cone 5, and said mem Specification of Lettersilatent. PatentedJgln 1ST, 192L Appiiaiion mea rebruary e, ieee. "semi No. 356,605.

bers extending downwardly close to but spaced from `the outer surface of the cone thrmigli the interspace of the cone and'said rustum 7.

8 is a vertically disposedtube," open at y both ends, mounted within the hop er 1 abuttiiigupon the inner` wall tliereo and having itslower part dependa through an opening in the frustum 7" near ytothe" top" of the marginal wallk of* the vessel 4 so as to deliver into the annular"troughof` said vessel, or into `an open receptacle 9. A smallA conc 'l0 lined in the receptacle 9`to extend into thefopen" lower end" ofthetube 8 in spaced relation thereto, `and a small bentbar 11, similar to tliegbentbar 6, is `likewise rotatably mounted onthe top of said cone."

The tube 8 is `preferably formedto `progressively `widen from its upper` towardits lower end, tofprovideainple clearaliceand ready deliveryior-its contents.

Stap es l2 0i' other suitable hangers are mounted around the angle of junction of the lower part of the cylindrical body of the hopper 1 and the rustum 7. A series of screening curtains 14; made ,ofinter-coir nected chain links, are hung on the staples 12 and depend nearly to the upper edge of the marginal rimof the vessel 4. Inside of the llexible intersticcd Vcurtains thus pro- `duced may be suspended on said staples.

cloth curtains 13.

The inwardly sloping frustal bottom 7 oi' the hopper affords ample clearance or head room for a hog or other animal feeding from the vessel 1, and as the upper edge of the `marginal rim of the vessel l is positioned immediately below the cylindrical walls of the hopper 1, the contents of said vessel are covered and protected from the action ot the elements,as also measurably by the curf tains 13 and 14 when both are used. Either set of these curtains may be used without the other. The outer curtains 14 of closely intermeshed linked structure prevent poultry from entering or feeding from the vessel l1, or `iiouling its contents. These curtains are secured only at 'their upper ends, consequently, are severally freely movable in Awardly, that is, may be pushed inwardly by the head of the animal before feeding. Because of the weight of the chain curtains 14, they always return by gravity to their normal positions. Y

During feeding, heads of the animals will contact with and rotatingly shift the steer-e ing-device 6, which, intraversing the inter- 'space of the cone 5 and frustum 7, breaks up and dislodges any compacted portions of the Vv,may be deposited in the tube 8 to be delivered into the receptacle 9, from Which it can belicked by the animal, the consequent vii bration ofV thev stirring device 11 coupled with 'the' Widening of the tube 8 down- Wardly, permitting the contents to freely issue Withouty 'remainingcompacted.

Thefvarioiis details of my invention may, offcourse, be considerably varied without departingA fromithe principles thereof or the scope of its protection.v

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, yand desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is :V

y L 1. Ananimal feeding device, comprising an open top feeding vessel, a hopper thereabove adaptedy to deliver itscontents therevinto,fanda curtainv Vhung from said hopper to depend movably over said vessel, said cur- :taiznbeing formedof connected chains.

i -2. Arr animal feedingdevice, comprising an openY top vessel, aiphopper having an open bottom positioned over said vessel, the outer Wall of the hopper being above the outer Wall of Said vessel, and a flexible curtain suspended from said hopper to traverse movably the interspace of the outer Walls of the hopper and said vessel, said curtain being formed of interconnected links.

8. An animal feeding device, comprising an open top vessel, a hopper having an open bottom above and delivering into said vessel, and curtaining means depending movably1 from said hopper toward said vessel, consisting of an outer curtain of interconnected links, and an inner liner of iexible material.

4.' An animal feeding device, comprising an open top vessel having a conically raised bottom, a smaller open top receptacle positioned Within said vessel and having a conieally raised bottom, a hopper above said vessel having an opening in its bottom sur rounding and spaced from the raised conical bottom of the vessel, and an open-ended tube above the said smaller receptacle, with its open lower end surrounding and spaced from the conical bottom of the latter.

Signed at Vaterloo, Iowa, this 24th day of January, 1920.

A @RENO P. BETTENGA. 

